“The gift of having Matteo Bocelli perform for us is such an incredible way to jump-start this event,” said CEO of the Catholic Community Foundation Deacon James Carabajal. “The beauty and grace Matteo exhibited tonight in his singing performance truly reflects what we are celebrating and hoping to emanate at the upcoming gala.”

The Crozier 30th anniversary, the “Pearls of Grace”-themed gala will be held at the Arizona Biltmore on April 14. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Crozier Scholarship Program.

Pat and Bob Bondurant and Molly and Bob Stockley are serving as the co-chairs of the event.

The evening included a cocktail reception, live entertainment, dancing, dinner and a fashion show presented by Neiman Marcus. During the dinner, co-chairs Erin Essert and Sally Odegard shared their connections to Fresh Start Women’s Foundation.

During the program, Founder’ Award Honoree Jacquie Dorrance was presented with her award by Jan Lewis, the 2017 honoree.

Since 1992, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation has provided education, resources and support to Arizona women.

This year marked the third annual Plated & Staged event benefitting the Herberger Theater’s Youth Outreach Programs — and for the first time, the event sold out completely.

The evening kicked off in the Herberger Theater Center’s foyer with a mix-and-mingle cocktail reception and small bites as well as a silent auction with jewelry, hotel experiences, artwork and more.

“I am thrilled that all of you beautiful, gorgeous, energetic people are here for this sell-out event,” said Billie Jo Herberger in her remarks to the audience. “We couldn’t be happier or more proud to be standing here tonight.”

During the cocktail reception,Herberger Theater Center president and CEO Mark Mettes noted that three additional theatre companies had recently named Herberger Theater Center as their new home. Herberger Theater is now home to six individual theatre companies including Arizona Theatre Company, Center Dance Ensemble, Childsplay Theatre, iTheatre Collaborative, Arizona Opera and Arizona Broadway Theatre.

Plated & Staged attendee Terri Rundle said, “I’ve been involved in theatre since I was a child and my mother used to take me. I’m also friends with Billie Jo and Judd Herberger and I love to support them.”

At the end of the cocktail reception, guests were then told where they would be dining for the evening, the location of which was kept under wraps until that point.

Citizen Public House, T. Cook’s, The Canal Club, Southern Rail Restaurant and Weft & Warp Art Bar & Kitchen were among the more than dozen fine dining establishments that participated in the event by having guests into their locations. Each restaurant hosted a table of eight with a specially prepared three-course meal and wine.

“I love this concept,” said artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company, David Ivers of participating in his first Plated & Staged event. “It’s the perfect experience. You get to move locations and move amongst different people that are contributors to our rich way of life here.”

Sponsors for the event were Billie Jo and Judd Herberger, Gensler, Print Time AZ, APS, Tom & Lin Catering, Porsche of North Scottsdale and Atlasta Catering.

spark! Mesa’s Festival of Creativity will take place Saturday and Sunday, and will feature an exhibition of 16 art cars, interactive art experiences, live music, aerial dance performances, live art creation, food and more.

The Art Cars and Art Cycles display will include cars and motorcycles transformed into art by some of the nation’s leading car artists.

Visitors to the festival will also have the opportunity to help create the “Desert Marlin” art car, which has been a collaboration by Mesa Art Center’s Art Studio teachers, Harrod Blank and Kyllan Maney. The final piece will be installed in Art Car World in Douglas, Ariz.

Several other art installations will also be on display alongside live music on two stages, aerial dance performances, original play performances and much more.

Food will be available from Soundbite Food Truck, Firehouse Kettle Corn, CA Snowie, Molly’s Tamales, Life of the Party Catering and Paletas Betty.

The Mesa Arts Contemporary Arts Museum will be open and art studio class samplers will also be available.

Arizona Theatre Company has announced the addition three new administrators — Sue DeBenedette as Director of Marketing, John Geersten as Company Manager and Julia Waterfall-Kanter as Director of Development.

“Combined, Sue, John and Julia bring more than 60 years of experience in their respective areas of expertise to Arizona Theatre Company, experience that will be vitally important as we lay the foundation for ATC’s next 50 years. We were so impressed with each individual’s talents and experience, and when each of them expressed their main motivation for joining the team was the desire to be in a position where they could have a significant impact on an organization, that sealed the deal for us,” said Arizona Theatre Company managing director Billy Russo and artistic director David Ivers in a joint statement.

DeBenedette most recently served as chief marketing and development officer at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. She has also served as marketing director for Tucson Symphony Orchestra, director of marketing for PolyGram Records in Australia and in International Marketing at A&M Records in New York and Los Angeles.

Waterfall-Kanter has more than two decades of experience leading fund development efforts for several organizations including Arizona Opera, Tucson Jewish Community Center, Up With People and Social Venture Partners Tucson. One of her first jobs was as associate director of development at Arizona Theatre Company.

Geersten served for seven years as managing associate and company manager at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. He also worked as an equity stage manager for the company’s new play series and main stage shows His stage management experience also includes the 2009 U.S. Tour of the Royal Ballet School, “The Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes”and the Los Angeles-based celebrity charity concert, “What a Pair!”. His television associate producer credits include the “MTV Movie,” “VH1 Fashion,” “My VH1” and “Big In” award shows, and Paul McCartney’s “Driving USA Tour.”

After the long and not so cold winter, it’s finally starting to feel like spring here in Phoenix, and that’s reason enough for us to celebrate. Here are our top five ways to take advantage of the warmer weather this season.

1. Enjoy craft cocktails on a patio.

If there’s anything us Phoenicians enjoy, it’s a craft cocktail, and the only thing more fun than drinking inside of a bar is drinking on a patio. Some of our favorite patio spots are Postino, El Chorro and Culinary Dropout.

2. Take a hike.

Exercise, socializing and enjoying the great outdoors all at once — what could be better? There are great hiking spots across the Valley, but we recommend Tom’s Thumb, Camelback Mountain and Papago Park.

3. See a spring training game.

This one’s a bit obvious, but it’s a critical part of Phoenix culture, so we had to mention it. Games are still running across the Valley through the end of the month, so you still have plenty of time to get your baseball (and beer) fix.

4. Head to a festival.

Whether you’re into food, music or medieval times, there’s probably a festival happening that suits your interests this season. We’re most looking forward to Innings Festival, the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and the Nirvana Food and Wine Festival.

5. Take a road trip.

If 80 degrees is still a bit too warm for you, this is a great time to take a road trip and check out any of our fun, neighboring cities like Sedona, Prescott or Payson.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service and Sojourner Center held their first joint Brighter Tomorrow Hope Luncheon earlier this month at the Arizona Biltmore hosting more than 500 guests and raising $400,000 for their programs.

Keynote speaker and founder of the National Advocacy & Training Network MonaLou Callery shared her story of surviving domestic abuse and how she overcame years of physical, verbal and emotional violence.

“The issues that MonaLou addressed during her speech are the same that our teams at JFCS and Sojourner Center work to raise awareness on every day,” said Dr. Lorrie Henderson, president and CEO of JFCS. “Because of the generosity and commitment of our donors, lives will be transformed now and into the future.”

Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral and social services to children, families and adults. Sojourner Center is one of the largest and longest-running domestic violence shelters in the nation.

“JFCS and Sojourner Center share a history of successful collaborations, including this year’s Brighter Tomorrow Hope Luncheon,” said Carrie Borgen, executive director for Sojourner Center. “By becoming an affiliate subsidiary of JFCS, it has positioned Sojourner Center so that it can continue impacting the lives of thousands of community members it serves.”

Earlier this month, Celebrity Fight Night XXIV raised funds for a variety of charities including a new initiative to help support Barrow Neurological Institute’s Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders program.

Each year, the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation raises funds at its annual gala, Celebrity Fight Night. Country star Reba McEntire returned to the event in her 13thyear as emcee and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer David Foster returned for his 19thyear as the event’s musical director.

Maria Shriver is an activist and research advocate in the area of Alzheimer’s and spoke about the devastation of neurological diseases. She was honored during the evening for her efforts, as were philanthropists Dr. Stacie and Richard Stephenson for their ongoing contributions to Alzheimer’s research. Additionally, police officer Tom McGrath and civilian Jonathan Smith were recognized with the Muhammad Ali Unsung Hero Award for their bravery in saving lives during the Las Vegas shooting last year.

The star-studded black tie event started off with an exciting red carpet, followed by a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and then an engaging live auction that included luxury items such as tickets to the U.S. Open, a dinner with Reba McEntire at her home in Nashville, an international trip with Larry Fitzgerald, a trip to Steven Tyler’s private Maui estate and much more.

Sponsors for this year’s Celebrity Fight Night included “USA Today Sports,” Patron Spirits, M Group, Scenic Studios and Go Media Companies. Celebrity Fight Night Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1994 by long-time Arizona resident and businessman Jimmy Walker to support various charities.

This year marked the 5th annual gala for Southwest Kids’ Cancer Foundation, supporting the efforts of Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks. The camp, founded in 1983, is located outside of Payson and provides a week of summer camp experience for children that have or have had cancer, plus additional programs for their siblings and families.

Other camp inspired programs and retreats are also conducted throughout the year and everything is provided free of charge for the children and families. This year’s gala was branded as the Celebrating Life – Campfire & Marshmallows Gala and was held March 3 at The Camby, Autograph Collection.

Longtime camp supporter Steven Koch said, “This is my favorite event of the year. The program really helps us see how valuable the camp is to these young kids fighting cancer and their siblings. I am so happy to be able to help with their mission.”

Emcee Carey Peña kept the program moving smoothly while gala guests learned the inspirational stories of the camp’s children and families. Mr. Paul Mosier spoke about his daughters Harmony and Eleri and their experiences with camp and what the “campily” of Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks has meant in terms of support and friendship.

Mother to Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks campers Benecio and Sebastian Moreno, Dennisse Moreno said, “Jello wars, marshmallows and galas, Oh my! From day camp to the current teen retreat, Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks has played a big part in my boys’ lives. They have become better people because of camp. Oh, let’s not forget they’ve become better dancers as well! It is an honor to be part of such an empowering group of individuals from every walk of life.”

The gala included fun campfire songs performed by Matt Hultsch during the silent auction, a live auction conducted by Jennie Heal, a mystery box table by Kendra Scott and the dessert sponsor was Nothing Bundt Cakes of Scottsdale.

April Howland creates her paintings with a passion that focuses on telling the stories of animals. Frequently, Howland’s lifelike animal paintings are seen at fundraisers and galas throughout the Valley and the proceeds from sales benefit a variety of animal and other nonprofits.

Howland, the CEO, founder and artist of Howland Studios, has been painting wildlife and items in nature since she was a child. One hair-raising event set her on a course to her painting destiny. During a family camping trip, a visceral roar came tearing through the tent where her family slept.

“I was 6 and I was sure the next thing that came through that tent would eat me,” said Howland.

The family was ushered to safety by her father, but the next morning, mountain lion tracks right next to the tent were a stark reminder of the potential danger.

“I remember being frightened at what could have happened, but also exhilarated that a wild animal was that close to me,” she said.

The event served to further her interest in animals which ultimately inspired her to become the renowned animal artist and passionate animal lover she is today.

Howland counts Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale as a local wild animal nonprofit that she loves.

“I do some pro bono graphic design for them and I just taught an art class out there a few months ago,” she said.

Howland recently painted one of the center’s wolves, Manitu, and donated the painting to the organization to auction in its upcoming annual fundraiser, Dinner with Wolves on April 15.

“I also donate a lot to the Phoenix Zoo,” Howland said. “I believe in their conservation efforts and I donate artwork for the events that they have throughout the year.”

Another nonprofit Howland supports is SniffAZ, an organization founded by some of Howland’s art collectors. In its fifth year, SniffAZ helps support existing organizations already providing spay and neuter services to Maricopa County companion animals.

“I’m an animal lover and helping control the pet population is important,” she said. “SniffAZ has wonderful people that do great work and I’m happy to give them artwork for their silent auctions.”

Additionally, she has donated artwork for auctions to Arizona Animal Welfare League, an organization from which she adopted one of her pets.

In an overseas philanthropic endeavor, Howland traveled to South Africa in 2011 with Africa Foundation.

While there, she visited medical facilities, orphanages and schools in a couple of villages. Howland toured Vuyelani primary school in Lillydale Village and learned of immediate needs for building materials to fix holes in the walls, and kitchen remodel that was desperately needed. The school feeds the students of the village that often get their one and only daily meal at the school.

“I decided to help them in the best way I knew how — with my art,” Howland said. “Upon returning to Arizona, I immediately began the planning of the painting titled, ‘I Have a Future’ of an orphaned boy on a caretaker’s back. I had met them in South Africa.”

The image and thoughts of the boy have always moved Howland as the young boy’s parents had both died from AIDS. The painting was raffled during Howland’s first fine art show a few years ago and fetched more than $2,000 which went towards the kitchen remodel for the school.

She returned to South Africa last month with the same nonprofit to view already funded and potential projects in three different areas, while also seeing some animals along the way. While there, Howland picked a project that will become the recipient of the funds from the sale of her next painting. She believes by helping people in South African villages, it will ultimately help the animals that live there.,

“The more we help young and struggling communities, the better ambassadors these precious African animals will have,” she said. “These will be people that are more educated and dedicated to their environment and conservation.”

“Inside me still lives that little 6-year old who hears that mountain lion roar, and who is forever curious about animals and how they live,” she said. ‘It is amazing how simple and yet so very complicated their lives are. By studying them and creating beautiful paintings, I am honored to help document and tell their stories so that others might enjoy them just as much as I do.”

AAHA! An Auction of Heirlooms and Art, raised a record-breaking amount of more than $350,000 for Hospice of the Valley at its event on March 3 at the Arizona Biltmore. More than 350 guests attended, bidding on art and one-of-a-kind experiences through the silent and live auctions.

The funds raised included nearly $140,000 to support a soon-to-be-built Dementia Care and Education Campus in Phoenix to care for people at all stages of dementia and to bring people together to share best practices in dementia care.

Hospice of the Valley is a nonprofit that was founded in 1977 to provide end-of-life care. The organization now provides home care for those with serious and chronic illnesses who aren’t yet ready for hospice.

Last year, the agency provided care to more than 18,000 patients and their families.

“Topgolf Chef Showdown” is a culinary competition between every Topgolf venue across the globe that took place March 7 at the Scottsdale Topgolf.

During the course of the show, chefs compete to have their winning dish showcased on Topgolf menus around the world. The show’s judges feature celebrity chef, author and restaurateur, Scott Conant and national director of culinary operations at Topgolf, Seve Delgado.

Having the event at Topgolf Scottsdale was natural fit as Scott Conant lives close to the venue. One of his restaurants, Mora, is located here in Phoenix as well.”

The finalists in the season two competition were Topgolf chefs Douglas Mace from Denver, CO, Cat Colaizzi, from Virginia Beach, VA, Tatiana Rodriguez from Roseville, CA and Alex Guzman from Overland Park, KS.

Chef Cat Colaizzi emerged victorious with her spring meatball platter. The sharable plate features tantalizing Greek-style meatballs that incorporate chicken and lamb, mint, crushed red pepper, honey and lemon. The dish is served with pickled veggies and tzatziki sauce to give an entire taste experience to guests.

“I knew I wanted to stick to something healthier,” says Colaizza of her winning meatball dish. “We read our guest satisfaction surveys at Topgolf, and we take in the feedback that we get from guests. Some of the feedback we get is that people want healthier options.”

National director of culinary operations at Topgolf Seve Delgado said, “The reason behind Chef Showdown is that we wanted to highlight that at Topgolf, and not just the Scottsdale location, we hire executive chefs and sous chefs at every venue. We take a lot of pride in the food we make. There’s a lot of love that goes into all our recipes and for the most part, we are from-scratch kitchens.” Delgado goes on to joke that she even wrestled a couple of prized recipes away from her aunts that had once belonged to her grandmother.

Conant was impressed by the contestants competitiveness, but with an edge of camaraderie. Conant said, “What they experience as chefs coming into this competition… they are competitive with one another and trying to identify that skill set for betterment. But more importantly, they work together as a team, even though they are competing against each other. Throughout every competition, they’d check in with each other to see how they were doing.”

Chef Cat Colaizzi’s winning dish will be featured on all Topgolf menus through May.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations don’t just have to be about green beer (not that we’d turn one down) because there’s plenty of food and drink options around the Valley to celebrate the occasion from corned beef and cabbage to green and white donuts. We’ve rounded up a list of our favorites for you here.

1. Patrick’s Day-themed donuts at Fractured Prune

Celebrate your St. Patrick’s Day on a sweet note with the St. Paddy’s dozen, which includes six delicious Irish inspired cakes — like the Black Irish with chocolate glaze with green and white sprinkles and the Irish Envy which features a green donut, mint glaze and mint chocolate chips.

2. Corned Beef and Cabbage Special at Miracle Mile Deli

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays at Miracle Mile Deli, where the restaurant typically goes through 3,000 pounds of corned beef during the month of March. This year promises to be no different, with the special running from March 12 to March 18 and including a generous serving of corned beef, steamed quartered cabbage head, bread and butter.

3. Guinness Cream Floats, Corned Beef and Cabbage and More at Camp Social

Camp Social is offering up a variety of Irish and St. Patrick’s Day drinks and food items to celebrate the holiday, including Guinness cream floats, corned beef and cabbage and Reuben sandwiches, Irish car bombs and more.

4. Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos and Nachos at Old Town Gringos

Old Town Gringos has a day of activities slated for St. Patrick’s Day including live music, baseball, food and drink specials. Plus, lots of unique corned beef and cabbage food items such as tacos, fajitas and nacho papas as well as festive drink favorites such as Irish car bombs, Jameson shots and Guinness.

5. Bacon Cheddar Potato Cakes, Scotch Eggs and More at Thirsty Lion

Until March 18, Thirsty Lion is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with bacon cheddar potato cakes, scotch eggs and Irish beer flights! The restaurant is also collecting money for its St. Baldrick’s fundraiser which raises money for children with cancer.

Gabriel’s Angels, a nonprofit that aims to inspire positive behavior in at-risk children through pet therapy, has been recognized with Guidestar’s highest honor — the Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Seal of Transparency.

“In accordance with our long-held belief in being transparent about our work,” said Gabriel’s Angels founder and CEO Pam Gaber, “we are excited to convey our organization’s results in a user-friendly and highly visual manner. By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to the Platinum level, we can now easily share a wealth of up-to-date organizational metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar’s immense online audience, which includes donors, grant makers, our peers, and the media.”

To achieve this recognition, Gabriel’s Angels added additional information to its nonprofit profile on GuideStar including basic contact and organizational information, in-depth financial information, details about organizational goals and strategies and more.

This additional information demonstrated its commitment to transparency to donors and funders.

“I encourage you to visit our profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,” said chief development officer Michele Shipitofsky. “We’re thrilled that our GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile and its associated benefits help us better communicate our organization’s exciting initiatives at a global scale.”

Valley Leadership’s board of directors has adopted a two-year strategic plan to develop the program for the future by aligning the organization’s programming, operations and governance to better impact issues facing the state.

These evolved mission, vision and value statements will focusing on mobilizing, leveraging and empowering Arizona leaders to address the organization’s most pressing concerns.

“The time for transformation is now,” said Valley Leadership CEO Dave Brown. “During the planning process, it became clear that we were underutilizing our greatest asset, the VL network of nearly 3,000 alumni. This plan outlines a clear, strategic way to leverage, mobilize and empower our network and partners to do more.”

The new strategy aims to help mobilize the organization’s large network of alumni and partners to create a larger impact on relevant issues.

“Now in its 40th year, Valley Leadership has enjoyed a long legacy of impact,” said Valley Leadership board chair Sarah Krahenbuhl. “This plan builds on that history, evolving the organization to be uniquely positioned to effect change where it is most needed in our state. The board and staff worked tirelessly on developing a plan that will meet the needs of our evolving community.”

Valley Leadership board and staff members reached out to nearly 100 community leaders, conducted alumni and stakeholder surveys, facilitated two planning retreats and hosted several meetings to determine the plan, which will take the organization through June 2020.

This is a story of the junction of tragedy and opportunity, of a series of events so oddly concurrent that they fell into place seemingly as if guided by a higher purpose.

First, the big announcement is this: Frontdoors Media has reached an agreement to produce the Society of Chairs Gala, and we’ll be hosting the newly relaunched event this May at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. The invitations will drop in the next couple of weeks to those who chaired charity events in the community this past fall and spring season, as well as select civic and business leaders.

We’re incredibly excited to make this announcement and grateful to Deborah Bateman, Vice Chairman of the National Bank of Arizona Board of Directors and the bank itself for making this possible, as well as the Westin Kierland for agreeing to host the event.

Bateman is the event Chairwoman and Linda Herold is the the Honorary Chairwoman. Proceeds from the Society of Chairs Gala will benefit a new charitable foundation we’re establishing, which I’ll tell you about shortly.

Now, the backstory.

When Andrea and I acquired Frontdoors early in 2017, we started kicking around the general concept of having a signature event that would benefit a foundation we would establish as the charitable arm of Frontdoors. We really had no idea what that might look like, and what the foundation might benefit. It was just kind of hanging out there, a thing on our to-do lists, waiting for us to get to it eventually as we did everything else we do on a day-to-day basis.

Then, tragedy struck. Our beloved friend Mike Saucier, the first editor of Frontdoors under our ownership, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mike fought a brief battle against the disease, but we lost him on November 1, 2017. I don’t need to re-state how heartbroken we were — still are — and how much we miss him every day.

When Mike died, we offered to help out his wife Fernanda by setting up a memorial fund. We weren’t sure what it would go toward, we just knew people wanted to give. Fernanda said Mike would have wanted to help young people become writers — especially young first-generation college students — so we filed that in the back of our minds and went on with our grieving.

At around the same time Mike got sick, Deborah Bateman reached out to Andrea with an intriguing question — would Frontdoors be interested in producing the next Society of Chairs Gala, the rights to which National Bank of Arizona has had for the past few years after taking the event over from founder Linda Herold.

Of course we were humbled and honored by the opportunity. We thought it would be a perfect fit for Frontdoors — after all, so much of what we do centers around the charities in our community and the work they fund through events. And after drawing up all the necessary paperwork, we had an agreement.

So, here we are.

We have a purpose — a gift Mike left us in his passing — to help first-generation college students find their voice, and to help fight the dreadful disease that robbed us of his presence.

We have a memorial fund — which was the recipient of thousands of dollars in generous contributions from dozens of Mike’s friends, family and colleagues.

And now, we have an event, one that can help us raise money for the cause on a consistent basis well into the future.

Put it all together, and here’s what you have: Frontdoors Media is proud to bring back the Society of Chairs Gala, with proceeds from the event to benefit the new foundation we’re setting up to include the contributions to Mike’s memorial fund and to serve as the philanthropic 501(c)3 for Frontdoors Media.

It will be called The Sauce Foundation, and it will fund pancreatic cancer research as well as scholarships in Mike’s honor for students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

And yes, Fernanda is part of it — she’s one of the three board members for the foundation, along with Andrea and I. But not only that, she’ll see the scholarship students grow and be able to personally help them become exceptional writers, just like both she and Mike. Fernanda is now on the faculty at Cronkite, where she will get to teach the recipients of the scholarships provided in her late husband’s memory.

One of the best pieces of advice I received during my grieving over Mike’s death was to try to find ways to carry on his memory and impact. We’ve already dedicated this publication and all it does to Mike in perpetuity. Now, we can take it a step further, by both fighting the terrible disease that took his life and creating an entire generation of Mike Sauciers — kind, thoughtful storytellers with a love of community, friends and family.

Mike may be gone, but through The Sauce Foundation and with the support of our community, we have an opportunity to ensure his impact in the future will be extraordinary. And we’ll get to celebrate that impact and his memory at the Society of Chairs Gala, this year and every year moving forward.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and committee members from the Hometown Christmas Parade present a $47,500 check to Phoenix Rescue Mission’s CEO Jay Cory. The funds were raised by the annual Hometown Christmas Parade and will help support Hope For Hunger Food Bank, which avoided permanent closure last year when Phoenix Rescue Mission and volunteers stepped up to keep the food bank operational for the 5,000 Glendale and Phoenix families it serves annually.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and committee members from the Hometown Christmas Parade presented a $47,500 check to Glendale’s largest food bank, Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Hope for Hunger Food Bank, which was in danger of running out of food.

The banks serves as a vital resource for one of the nation’s poorest communities, where one in five residents live below the poverty line and approximately 5,000 underserved families count on food from the food bank.

“To ask for help has always been a hard thing for me to do but the environment at Hope For Hunger is so welcoming,” said Glendale resident Debra Sooter. “Everyone here is so warm and always smiling. I am so thankful for Phoenix Rescue Mission and the volunteers who help keep these doors open.”

Hope for Hunger Food Bank almost closed last year until Phoenix Rescue Mission stepped in to manage operations with an all-volunteer staff.

“Since we took over operations at Hope For Hunger, it’s been a blessing for us to have another outlet to give to those in need,” said community engagement manager for Phoenix Rescue Mission Nathan Smith. “Sometimes hope begins with a meal and that’s why we’re here – to give people hope.”

The second Banner Bon Santé Ball welcomed physicians, philanthropists and community members to a vibrant gala seeking to unseat heart disease as the nation’s top killer.

The event, which took place last month at The Phoenician, featured a performance by Michael Bublé tribute artist Scott Keo and a quartet from Arizona State University’s School of Music.

The event also included a live auction, dinner and an insightful program.

Division chief of cardiology at Banner Dr. Martha Gulat shared highlights of Banner – University Medicine’s cardiovascular program and guests had the opportunity to view a television segment where Tucson hockey player Craig Cunningham collapsed on the ice at age 26 due to a rare heart disorder.

After the video, Cunnningham and the cardiologist who saved his life, Dr. Zain Khalpey of Banner spoke to guests about the importance of philanthropic support for cardiovascular programs.

The Sonoran Festival of Art Extravaganza, which benefits the Sonoran Arts League, will take place March 9 through 11 at Stagecoach Village in Cave Creek and will feature art, culinary demonstrations, performances, workshops and a community resource expo.

“We invite everyone to come experience the arts and help us celebrate our creative community,” said Sonoran Arts League executive director Bell-Demers. “Whether you are a serious collector or just looking for inspiration, you’ll find a diverse selection of original fine art. Between the visual, culinary and performing arts, and our community resource expo, this will be a fantastic event!”

The event boasts a new partnership with the Arizona Culinary Institute, allowing master chefs and students to work together to serve delicious food alongside a selection of craft beer.

In addition to the wide range of interactive activities, a diverse selection of artists will be exhibiting and selling art.

The annual garden party fundraiser and silent auction will take place on Saturday, March 10 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will also feature an awards celebration for students.

Admission to the event is free, with 25 percent of all food and beverage sales benefitting the Sonoran Arts League.

A large red deco block style heart served as the backdrop for the 2018 Go Red for Women Luncheon.

Thanks to national support from Macy’s and CVS and locally from Dignity Health, this classic event continues to engage and educate attendees. This year’s event sold out, hosting more than 600 guests.

This year the luncheon raised more than $100,000, which will fund the American Heart Association’s dedication to building healthier lives, including research, awareness, education and community programs.

Prior to the event, the Go Red For Women Luncheon began with an interactive expo that was followed by a Hands Only CPR Demonstration.

Michelle Matiski, vice president of legal business services for Aetna, served as this year’s chair and Garell Jordan, president of care delivery Arizona for OptumCare, served as this year’s vice chair. Dignity Health’s Dr. Estela Apolinar was this year’s medical speaker.

Three heart health advocates, Esther Gonzalez, Jane Powers and Cheryl Murdock, who were personally impacted by the disease, shared their stories.

The annual Go Red For Women campaign is an initiative that raises awareness about the number one killer of women: heart disease.

Through this movement women are provided with the tools to lead a heart healthy lifestyle and are also encouraged to be mindful of preventative measures to reduce their personal risk.

In its 10-year history the Go Red For Women initiative has been a driving force in the 34 percent decrease in the number of women dying of heart disease each year.